


we have a winner

by slightlytookish



Category: Whitechapel (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-23
Updated: 2013-09-23
Packaged: 2017-12-27 10:38:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/977775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slightlytookish/pseuds/slightlytookish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was only so much pining that one incident room could stand. The solution? Turn it into a game of bingo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	we have a winner

It was Mansell's idea, of course.

"Psst, Riley! Come here," he said, waving to her from the printer.

"What is it?" she said. "Another jam?"

"No, just block me from the others," he said, casting a furtive look in the direction of Chandler's office. "I don't want anyone to see."

"Oh no," Riley said, rolling her eyes. "Tell me you're not using your work computer to order from that sex shop again."

"Nah, I'm doing something much more productive this time," Mansell said, eagerly reaching for the three freshly printed pages. "One for you, one for Ed, and one for me."

Riley took the paper he handed her with a certain amount of wariness. Knowing Mansell, she was almost afraid to look. "What is it?"

Mansell grinned. "Bingo."

*

"We might as well make a game of it, if we have to watch them making eyes at each other every day," Mansell said, and Riley had to agree. There was only so much mutual pining that one incident room could stand, especially when it seemed unlikely that either party would ever do anything about it.

The rules were the same as regular bingo, only instead of numbers Mansell had filled in each square with things that Chandler or Kent might do. Some of them were things that Riley had seen time and again, like _Kent arranges his desk like the boss_ and _Chandler praises Kent's work_ , so she expected that it would be easy enough to tick those boxes. But then there were things like _Chandler invites Kent to dinner_ and _call each other by first name_ , which were more difficult to imagine.

"The boss would probably have to take a day off work if he called Kent 'Emerson,'" Riley said. "And I don't think Kent even realises that the boss _has_ a first name."

Mansell laughed. "You think they'd still be like that if they got together, though? Imagine them in bed – 'Oh sir, grab my d–"

"Oh, shut up," Riley said, laughing and swatting him with a file for good measure. 

Mansell subsided, still chuckling to himself, but a moment later he elbowed her in the side. "Look!"

Riley watched as Chandler emerged from his office and approached Kent's desk. He appeared to be asking something about the case they had just solved, and Riley and Mansell stared unabashedly as Kent shuffled through the papers on his desk and found whatever document Chandler had wanted. Chandler accepted it with a nod and seemed to hesitate a moment before briefly patting Kent's shoulder in thanks.

"Kent looks like he's about to faint, the poor lamb," Riley murmured, already reaching for her highlighter to colour in the _Chandler puts a hand on Kent's shoulder_ square. Even in the dim lighting of the incident room she could see that he was turning an impressive shade of red.

"Wait, keep watching," Mansell whispered, and Riley looked over just in time to see Chandler and Kent sharing a tentative smile.

"That's two boxes for me," Mansell said, cheerfully drawing lines through the _Kent smiles at Chandler_ and _Chandler smiles at Kent_ boxes on his card. 

"And three for me," Riley said as she coloured in the squares. None of them were in a line to give her a bingo, but that didn't stop her from giving Mansell a high five.

"Oi! What are we celebrating?" 

Both she and Mansell jumped in surprise, and when they turned around to face Miles he didn't say a word as he gestured for them to hand over their bingo cards. 

"Sorry, Skip," they said, exchanging guilty looks. Miles studied the cards for a long moment, his expression never once revealing his thoughts.

"Well? Where's mine?" he said at last, and Mansell nearly fell in his haste to return to his own computer and make up a card for the sergeant.

*

They were all fiercely competitive about it. Even Ed was venturing out of his archives more than usual, bringing a stack of books and papers and stationing himself at any empty desk in order to keep an eye on the proceedings (and to discreetly mark his own bingo card). 

The fact that something was going on didn't escape Chandler and Kent's notice, but all of them were busy with the new case and there was little time to ask questions. Kent mostly looked at everyone suspiciously, but Chandler once mentioned that it was strange to see Ed spending so much time in the incident room. 

"I, uh, needed a little more light to read these manuscripts," Ed replied, which made Miles snort in disbelief. 

Chandler, for his part, seemed bewildered by Ed's excuse. "I don't think you'll find it much brighter in here," he said, peering around at the dim lights and shadowy corners. "When was the last time someone changed these light bulbs, anyway?" 

He looked at Miles, who shrugged. "Probably when they built the place."

"I don't suppose we could arrange to have some new ones put in," Chandler mused, half to himself. "Or perhaps we might find a lamp for Ed."

Ed insisted that he was fine, and that they shouldn't trouble themselves, but Kent immediately sprang to his feet. "I'll look into it, sir," he said, and Riley didn't miss the proud look the boss gave him, nor the way he clapped Kent's shoulder as he walked past.

"That's twice that the boss touched him on the shoulder this week," Mansell said, once Kent had gone and Chandler had retreated to his office. "They'll be having sex on a desk next, mark my words." 

"You'll have to make up a new set of cards, then," Riley said, grinning as she coloured in the _Kent volunteers to do some menial task for the boss_ square.

* 

It wasn't _cheating_ , Riley thought to herself as she sidled up to Kent one morning. Offering the boys a little nudge here and there wasn't against the rules; it wasn't as if she was taking Kent and the boss each by the arm and forcing them to sit together at the pub, though she would be happy to cross off that square on her bingo card if they did. 

Anyway, it was for their own benefit – she hadn't missed the way Chandler and Kent had been sneaking looks at each other for the past couple of hours (it had let her colour in the _lingering looks_ square, after all, much to Mansell's annoyance, since he didn't have that on his card) and the expressions of longing that she could see on both of their faces was painful to witness. Something had to give, and Riley had never minded a little helpful meddling in her friends' lives – for a good cause, of course. 

And so she joined Kent by the tea and coffee things and heaved a sigh as she reached for the milk. "Oh, dear."

Kent took the bait, of course. "Is everything all right, Meg?" 

"Yeah, it's just–" Riley dropped her voice and Kent leaned close, all wide-eyed concern. "–the boss seems tense today, doesn't he? More than usual, I mean."

"It's this new case," Kent said. "I think it might be getting to all of us." But he turned to look at Chandler (who was rearranging his desk for the fourth time that morning, so it wasn't as though she was _lying_ ) and frowned in a way that let Riley know that the wheels were turning.

"He works himself too hard," she said in her most maternal voice. For a moment she worried that she was laying it on a bit thick, but then Kent turned back to her with a determined set to his jaw. 

"I'll bring him some tea," he said. "Maybe that'll help him relax a bit."

"That's very thoughtful of you, Emerson," Riley said, beaming at him, and it really was sweet to watch Kent bring the boss a cup of green tea, prepared just so, and to see Chandler's startled, awkward, and yet obviously pleased reaction.

It was sweet, too, to colour in the _Kent brings Chandler tea_ square on her card, dutifully ignoring the glare that Miles was shooting at her from across the room all the while.

Her streak of success was short-lived, however, when that very afternoon Miles intercepted Kent on his way to deliver a report to Chandler and brought it in to the boss himself. Mansell threw his pen down in irritation, and Miles smirked and mouthed "not on my card" as Riley stared longingly at the empty _Kent delivers a report to Chandler_ square on hers. 

Later, at the pub, they all brought out their cards and saw that the one square they were all waiting to cross off was _drive together in the same car_.

"That's easy enough to fix," Miles said, and the very next day he begged off when Chandler invited him to come along in his car when the whole team was called to a crime scene.

"There's something I'd like to talk to Riley about," Miles said, and when Chandler pressed he added, "It's something to do with Judy, sir. A woman's matter, nothing to worry about, but I shouldn't like to trouble you with it."

Chandler looked distinctly uncomfortable, and Riley could tell that he was itching to reach for his Tiger Balm but was too polite to do so in front of Miles. "Of course," he said, and turned to Kent and Mansell with palpable relief. "Shall we?"

"I think I'll go with Skip," Mansell said quickly. "I know all sorts of things about women." He waggled his eyebrows, and Kent pulled a disgusted face, but since Miles didn't object Chandler just shrugged.

"Kent, come with me," he said, leading the way to his car, and the others waited a moment before driving away to cross off the _drive together in the same car_ squares on their cards.

*

No one knew what happened between Chandler and Kent in the car that afternoon (not even Miles, and he usually knew everything), but something momentous must have occurred because as they were all saying their goodnights Chandler went right over to Kent and said, "Would you like to go for a drink tonight?"

Kent nearly dropped the bin he was holding onto Chandler's foot. "Yes, sir," he said, setting the bin aside with a stunned smile.

"Bingo!" Riley said, jumping up and down in excitement. Mansell rushed over to her desk and snatched up her card, shaking his head at the now-filled _Chandler invites Kent for drinks and/or dinner_ square, as Miles crumpled his bingo card in disappointment. 

Chandler was staring at all of them with a baffled expression on his face, but Kent was still too busy grinning to notice how oddly the rest of the team was behaving. After a moment Chandler merely shook his head and left with a still-beaming Kent, and Riley made Miles and Mansell bring her to another pub (the sort Chandler would never go to) and buy her a drink to celebrate her victory.

* 

The next morning, Chandler and Kent arrived conspicuously late, and conspicuously together. Neither one of them said anything, of course, but they both looked more at ease with each other than they had ever seemed before, and they both seemed a little too pleased with themselves, and–

"What's that on Kent's neck?" Riley whispered to Mansell as they settled at their desks. 

"We should ask the boss," he said, practically cackling in delight.

"All right, break it up," Miles said, glaring at them. "Don't you have work to do?" 

"Yes, Skip," they said, but a few moments later Miles wandered over to Kent's desk and stared pointedly at his neck before turning to Chandler and giving him a considering look. Kent immediately busied himself with a file, and Chandler suddenly seemed fascinated by his bottle of Tiger Balm, but after a moment they both looked up and met each other's eyes, sharing a smile that was clearly meant only for themselves. 

"Right," Mansell said, turning to his computer. Riley watched over his shoulder as he began working on a new set of bingo cards, filling the squares with things like _desk sex_ and _come to work wearing each other's clothes_ and _Chandler buys more Spanish fly – for personal use this time_.

"How about: _Kent really does get a tattoo of the boss_?" she suggested, and they both laughed until Miles yelled at them to get back to work.


End file.
